Falling Through the Cracks
by FlamingArrow815
Summary: With the excitement of exposing Bellwether for the villain she was, the ZPD failed to realize that they let a suspect fall through the cracks. Sure Bellwether planned the whole thing, but what about the mammal who made the serum in the first place? Follow Nick and Judy as they face life as cops and explore their feelings for eachother completely unaware that Doug is out for revenge
1. Chapter 1: Far from Over

**AN: Hey Everyone this is my very first story ever. I am really excited to see how this turns out. I welcome constructive criticism so if you have any suggestions please feel free to PM me. Let me know what y'all think and enjoy!**

 **FlamingArrow815**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Zootopia, Disney does. But I do own some Disney movies...so does that mean that I own Disney? Hooray for technicalities!**

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Chapter 1: Far From Over

As the firemammals lifted the wounded bunny out of the open exhibit in the ground, a ram in a yellow jump suit stumbled out of the museum's subway entrance gasping for breath. He fell to his knees and placed his hoofs against his head in an attempt to stop the pounding that threatened to shake his horns loose from his skull.

"Damn I'm outa shape," he cursed, having ran all the way from where his rusting subway car lab had set to where he found it burned to ashes in the station below him. "This is why I'm a sniper" he continued to pant.

He grimaced at the memory of finding the train wreck. He poured months of work into that lab, hours upon hours of dedicated research in effort to perfect his nighthowler serum for the cause, and for _her._

Despite his exhaustion, Doug couldn't help but smile at the thought of the ewe. Her glasses, her little bell necklace, the puff of wool at the top of her head, he loved all of it. He loved her. That's why he created the serum and darted those predators. Sure he also believed in Bellwether's plan to turn the city against predators, but his real motive was to help her achieve her dream of complete authority over Zootopia. If he did that for her, then maybe she would come to feel the same way about him.

His plan was working perfectly too, until _they_ got involved. That stupid bunny and moron fox nearly ruined everything he had worked for. They not only stole the weapon and the serum, but the whole freaking lab! He remembered the terrifying anger Dawn unleashed on him over the phone when he had to explain how he managed to lose the entire lab. He was sure he had lost his chance with her until she explained how she was going to fix his failure. Judy trusted her, she would give the weapon right to Dawn and everything would go as planned.

As Doug neared the commotion in the center of the museum however, he discovered what really happened. He watched as the firemammals pulled Judy out of the pit, grasping her leg as blood stained her paws. He hid behind one of the massive stone columns that lined the room to avoid detection and grinned sinisterly as he tried to imagine what had happened.

"Oh Dawn must have darted the fox, yeah that would be so perfect! He kills the rabbit and has to live with the guilt!" Doug let out a quiet chuckle imagining how the fox would turn on his friend, ripping her to shreds. "They deserve it. A fox and a bunny can't be friends. It's a crime against nature."

The firemammals moved back towards the pit in preparation to lift Nick out of it. Doug eagerly waited to see just how crazy the fox turned. As the firemammals simply lowered a ladder into the exhibit, Doug scratched his head in confusion. Why wouldn't they be sending in an officer to dart the savage fox before lowering in a ladder?

Doug's stomach dropped as a pair of russet paws calmly reached the top of the ladder as the vulpine pulled himself out of the pit. The fox wore a smug look on his face as he strolled through the crowd of police and firemammals towards the awaiting ambulances.

"He's not savage?" Doug whispered to himself "The plan, what about the plan!" The ram began to panic as another thought entered his mind.

"Where's Dawn?"

Almost as if to answer his question, the ewe shrieked from across the room before being thrown into the back of a police cruiser.

"I'll get you for this Judy! You and that _fox!_ This isn't over, you hear me! This is not over!"

Dawn finished bleating out her threat before Chief Bogo slammed the cruiser door shut and waived to the driver to take her away.

Mortified, Doug watched helplessly as the ewe he cared about was cuffed and driven off in the police cruiser. He glanced towards the ambulances and spotted the fox and bunny receiving treatment for their wounds. As soon as he saw their smiling faces as they chatted about the clever trap they set, his mortification spiraled into rage.

He glared at the happy pair and snorted. Pulling out his phone he activated the camera and took a picture of them laughing. He then placed the picture into an album with the fifteen other photos of mammals he'd targeted.

 _That's right you two, laugh now because Dawn's right._ He thought to himself.

"This not over."


	2. Chapter 2: Reinstatement and Apologies

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who has read this story. Its so much fun to see how many people have read this in the first two days of it being posted. Also thank you to everyone who has followed/favorited this story. I'm glad you like it and will keep updating it as soon as I finish the chapters. As always I accept any comments or suggestions any of y'all may have so please review to let me know how I'm doing.**

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Chapter 2: Reinstatements and Apologies

Judy sat on her hospital bed frowning at the gauze wrapped around her leg. She needed eight stitches after slicing her calf on that tusk. She sighed in dismay at the realization that Bogo would most likely make her take a few days off work to recover.

 _Wait I resigned, I'm not an officer anymore anyway._

Judy exhaled again; saddened by the fact that she quit her dream job. A smirk appeared on her face as she noticed the irony that in order for her to protect the city as a police officer should, she actually needed to give up her badge.

Concerned that she would try and walk on her injured leg, the nurse ordered her to remain still in bed. Of course Judy being Judy decided to do whatever she wanted anyways and as soon as the kind Dalmatian nurse left the room she hopped off the uncomfortable excuse for a mattress. That soon proved to be a mistake as an angry shock of pain rocketed up her wound. Emitting a painful squeak, Judy took hold of her bed rail to support herself.

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy yelped as her leg buckled. Grunting, she pulled herself up and powered through the pain to the door. Normally Judy would've just lain in bed as the nurse directed, but a desire to go check in on a certain mammal being treated down the hall drove her actions.

Just as Judy reached up to open the door handle, it swung open revealing a crimson furred fox who gazed down at her through his signature sly grin.

"And where do you think you're going, Fluff?" Nick placed his paws on his knees and lowered himself to be at eye level with Judy. As he faced her, Judy couldn't help but stare into his emerald eyes. She found herself lost in them, enchanted by the mammal that hid behind them, the one she briefly met on the gondola in the Rainforest District. A feeling rose in her chest, she knew what this feeling was but it couldn't be! There was no way she held the slightest bit of affection towards the fox in front of her. Yet the feeling was still there. "From what I remember you cut your leg open and had to rely on a certain dashing fox and his heroic bravery, clever mind, and legendary wit as he escorted your fluffy little tail to safety. You shouldn't be running off to get into more trouble." Nick teased her while leading her back to her hospital bed.

Judy scoffed. _Yup, feeling's gone._

"Well then _Mr._ _Hero_ , let's not forget who knocked over that pipe and gave us away to those rams, landing us into that pit in the first place" Judy giggled as she watched Nick's ears slick back while he tried to come up with another quip to counter hers.

"That's beside the point," Nick shrugged as he helped Judy back onto her bed, "the point is that we are both safe and still in one piece." Nick glanced down to Judy's wounded leg "Well, at least one of us is in one piece."

Judy simply rolled her eyes at Nick's remark. Her ears suddenly perked up as the door to her room opened revealing the towering form of a cape buffalo clad in a police uniform. Chief Bogo's expression remained neutral, and from what Judy heard from the other officers at the ZPD, that meant he was ecstatic.

"Hopps, glad to see you feeling better" the chief paced over to her bedside," I knew that when we got reports of a bunny driving a runaway subway car, only you could be behind something so ridiculous."

Judy's eyes widened, she had completely forgotten about the danger she caused with her little stunt on the rail lines.

"Sir, it was the only way to get all the evide…"

"Don't concern yourself over it Hopps," the chief interrupted her, "we've already explained to the news that everything was under control and that we had our best _officer_ handling the situation." Bogo reached into his pocket and removed a tiny bronze badge and gently set it in Judy's paw.

Judy's mouth hung open in disbelief, she had her job back.

"Chief Bogo sir, I… I don't know what to say" Judy caressed the cool metal of her badge, holding it tightly and determined to never give it up again.

"Then don't say anything Hopps, just rest up and make sure you're ready to report for duty as soon as the doctors clear you." Chief Bogo then turned to face Nick who sat silently in one of the hospital room's extra chairs watching ZNN on the muted TV mounted to the wall.

"As for you Fox," Nick glanced at the chief briefly before returning his eyes to the TV. After the Chief's comment the night him and Judy were almost mauled by a savage jaguar that he wouldn't believe a _fox_ , Nick decided that anything the bigoted mammal had to say to him wasn't worth his time," I believe I owe you an apology."

 _Well maybe it's worth my time just this once._ Nick angled his ears in the chief's direction, indicating that he was listening, but remained reclined in his chair. He didn't want the chief to think he could control Nicholas Piberius Wilde.

The buffalo was tempted to yell at the fox for his disrespect, but he decided against it because he knew that after subjecting the fox to his own speciesism he deserved it.

"I allowed a totally unreasonable stereotype of you to take the better of my judgement, and for that I do apologize. You actually proved to be vital to the solving of both the missing mammal cases and foiling the mayor's plot." Bogo gave his apology in a deep, sincere tone that would have stunned any of his officers. Bogo never apologized for anything. He just didn't.

"Well Chief, I'll forgive you. But only because you owned up to your mistake and I can really appreciate that." Nick threw his smug grin to the chief who just grunted and looked away.

A picture of Judy in her police uniform appeared on the TV screen while the ZNN news anchors continued to update the city on the day's events. Judy had already seen herself on television a few times before so, the novelty having worn off, it didn't really interest her. The breaking news banner that flashed under her name however did grab her attention.

 _Hero cop Judy Hopps in hospital after receiving severe injury_ read the news bulletin.

"Severe? I wouldn't call eight stitches severe" Judy commented to no one in particular.

"Well Carrots, that's the media for you. Blow everything out of proportion until viewership rises" Nick remarked scratching his chin.

A sickening feeling filled Judy. ZNN was broadcasted all over Zootopia and the areas surrounding it. Her family in Bunnyburrow probably saw the report and would likely set the farm ablaze in their panic for her safety.

Judy immediately swung her legs off the bed to retrieve her cell phone on the counter across the room. "I need to call my family, let them know I'm alright" Judy began as she tried to drop off the bed. Nick leaped out of his chair and quickly prevented Judy from putting weight back onto her wounded leg. Judy was about to protest when the Chief spoke up.

"We have already contacted your family Hopps, they are on their way here as we speak" Chief Bogo informed her.

"So they know I'm okay" relieved that her parents were not clueless to their daughter's safety, Judy relaxed into her bed again.

Bogo rubbed the back of his neck "I wouldn't say they know you're okay. When I said you were in the hospital the bunny on the phone started yelling that you were hurt to everyone around him and hung up before I could tell him anything else."

Judy slapped her paw to her face.

 _Great, the whole farm is in full panic mode because of me._

"Chief, do you know who answered your call?" Judy asked the buffalo.

"I assume one of your brothers" He responded as he began heading towards the door. He had other matters to attend to and needed to be on his way.

"I have one hundred forty seven brothers Chief, do you know which one?" Judy felt a tiny smile form on her lips when she saw Bogo's eyes widen in shock at the number of brothers she had. It was a normal response for mammals outside of rabbits of course, but it never ceased to amuse her.

"I believe he said his name was Mark" Bogo answered "Now, I have a meeting with the Board of Public Safety to get to. I expect to see you back in the bullpen soon, Officer." With that the Chief of Police made his leave.

"Really, why did Mark have to be the one to answer the call?" Judy threw her head back onto her pillow.

"What? You two don't get along or something? Is there a little sibling rivalry in the Hopps clan?" Nick ribbed while he sat back into his chair.

"Oh there's plenty of sibling rivalry in my family, but that's not the issue," Judy explained," Don't get me wrong, I love my brother, but you see, Mark is one of those super protective older brothers. He even threatened to beat up this bully that used to torment me and my friends after he slashed me across the face. After he saw the scratches on my cheek, he followed me around for a whole week to make sure I wasn't hurt again."

Nick listened with intrigue as Judy spoke of her older brother before offering his response. "It sounds to me he is just looking after his kit sister. I know that if I had a sister I'd do the same."

"Yeah well, those were just some tiny scratches Nick," Judy toyed with the bandage covering her stitches," when he sees this he is going to freak."

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 **So there's chapter two, hope y'all liked it! Just as an FYI I am going on vacation for sixteen days to Africa so I wont be updating for a while, but I will still try to find time to write while I'm over there, so when I get back be prepared for an awesome chapter three.**

 **Thanks, FlamingArrow815**


	3. Chapter 3: A Brother's Love

**Hey everyone! So I'm back from vacation and was finally able to just sit down and write. I had fun creating this chapter and hope y'all enjoy it! Also thank you for the support I've been getting for this story! It makes my day when I see that people are favoriting and following FTTC! Keep those reviews coming too! I love hearing from y'all so I know if I'm doing a good job.**

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Chapter 3: A Brother's Love

Mark Hopps pulled himself out from under his car. Wiping the oil from his face, he stood up and paced over to the aged work bench that sat against the wall of the weathered barn. He quickly glanced over the table and grabbed the old rag siting amongst his pile of tools, cleaned off the wrench in his hand, and dropped it on top of the ever growing mound of clutter. He then looked to the trash can in the corner of the room. Taking aim, he pulled his arm back and tossed the spent oil filter he just replaced towards the basket. He chuckled a light curse as he watched it miss and crash to the floor with a clank. Deciding to leave the filter on the ground for the time being, Mark retrieved the five quart jug of fresh oil that he bought on his last trip into town and made his way to the open hood of the car. He removed the oil cap and caringly poured the amber liquid into the machine.

Mark loved his car. It was a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that he spent nearly two years restoring. It had a 440 big block engine to provide it with life and was a beautiful shade of glossy, royal blue all over. However, the fact that he practically rebuilt it with his own two paws and that it was in his opinion the greatest muscle car to ever exist were not the reasons he cherished it so deeply. He loved it because it reminded him of his kit sister Judy.

After the oil was filled, Mark replaced the oil cap and proceeded to glance over the engine to make sure everything seemed in order. Leaning his arms against the radiator, Mark rested his head in his paws and smiled. He recalled the day he found the car in the junk yard fifteen years ago.

He chuckled to himself again, "No. Judy found it, remember? It is technically her car after all."

 _Mark was on his way back to the main house on the farm after a long day of working in the fields. He brushed his wrist against his forehead_ _,_ _removing the sweat brought about by his daily chores, and being amongst the oldest of the entire Hopps clan, he was expected to do a lot of them. He slicked his ears back in exhaustion and continued up the dirt path to the house. He was about half_ _w_ _ay there when a glimpse of blue and gold caught his eye. He smiled to himself. He would recognize Judy's police cap anywhere. She wore it all the time_ _-_ _breakfast, lunch, dinner, while doing chores, while playing, even once to school. Mark had to admit that he was proud of the tiny bunny and her persistence to follow her dream despite what others would tell her. For a nine year old_ _,_ _she was quite the inspiration._

 _Mark turned to call to his little sister but noticed she wasn't on the main path_ _._ _Instead, she was_ _sneaking through the bushes to the rear entrance_ _of_ _the house. The children were very fond of this alternate route when they were sneaking in and out of the house without their parent's knowledge because it kept them well hidden from those inside peering out the windows. Mark himself had used it several times, but_ _he_ _found it strange that Judy would be using the secret path because she was such a good little girl. She never caused trouble and when she did, it was always something relatively insignificant like taking a game of cops and robbers a little too far._

 _Suspicious of his sister's behavior, Mark slowly made his way over to the shrubs where he saw the police hat above the leaves. He didn't want to accidently scare her into running off_ _,_ _so he calmly called out her name._

 _"_ _Judy?"_

 _This proved to be a mistake_ _._ _Judy yelped in surprise and leapt into the air_ _,_ _turn_ _ing_ _around mid-jump and land_ _ing_ _facing him. She clutch_ _ed_ _her paw to her face and_ _dropped her jaw_ _in surprise at being found._

 _Mark's expression turned to shock when he saw the injuries Judy was concealing. Three slashes ran across her cheek leaving red scars in her grey fur. There was no way that they were caused by a bunny's claws_ _;_ _no, they were way too big to be a bunny. This had to be a predator's doing._

 _"_ _Judy, what happened?" Mark's voice was no longer light and curious_ _. Instead,_ _it was heavy and serious. Someone hurt his little sister_ _;_ _he wouldn't let this stand._

 _Judy weighed her options. She could tell Mark about her scuffle with Gideon and risk him telling their parents and be grounded for the rest of eternity, or she could run._

 ** _Yeah, run._**

 _Judy took off down the path away from the farm house and_ _out of the farm, kicking up a trail of dust as she went. Mark stood in slight confusion at why she would be trying so hard to hide something from him before realizing that he needed to go after her._

 ** _Oh crap. Here we go._**

 _The already tired older rabbit_ _dashed_ _down the path in pursuit of the young kit, calling her name in hopes to get her to slow down. His hopes were crushed as she sped up every time he called. Judy took a sudden turn off the road and dove into a field of tall grass in an attempt to lose her older brother. She then made her way through the field, quite pleased with her ingenious plan._

 _Mark noticed her quick change of direction and prepared to spend hours searching for her in the field, but_ _he_ _chuckled when he saw her ears poking above the sea of green. With her ears acting as a beacon, it took no time for Mark to catch up with Judy. However, the young bunny had already made it to the other side of the field and, to Mark's dismay, into a forgotten scrap yard that skirted the edge of the Hopps Family Farm._

 _Judy navigated her way through the rusted steel of old cars and tractors before she climbed into the husk of a decaying car. She crouched down in the floor board and folded her ears back as to not alert her brother of her presence again. Peering out the grimy window of the abandoned machine, she spotted her brother entering the junk yard. She ducked back down and silently willed him to leave._

 _"_ _Judy_ _,_ _I know you're here somewhere!" Mark called out "I just want to know if you're okay. I won't tell Mom and Dad whatever you're hiding. I promise!"_

 _Judy remained silent in the car and refused her brother's plea. Mark however expected this and casually leaning against the massive tire of a neglected tractor, crossing his arms. If Judy didn't want to show herself to him willingly, then maybe she'd cooperate if he explained an alternate method of finding her._

 _"_ _Fine, then I'll just go home and tell_ _Dad_ _that you're hiding in an old junk yard after you tried to sneak back into the house. He'll send out a whole search party and find you himself."_

 _Almost immediately following his threat to involve the head of the Hopps family, Mark witnessed two grey ears slowly emerge in the grimy window of the car across from him. Judy knew that if Mark got their father involved things would only get worse for her, so she reluctantly revealed the rest of herself to the white rabbit._

 _"_ _I'm over here_ _,_ _"_ _Judy sighed as she sat up in the driver's seat of the vehicle._

 _Relieved to see her safe, Mark calmly walked over to the car and opened the passenger door, the rusted hinges squealing in protest. Plopping himself down in the rotted upholstery , he decided it would be best to let Judy initiate the conversation, so he busied himself by looking around the car. It was designed for a mammal slightly larger than himself_ _; h_ _e guessed something along the lines of a coyote_ _. Nonet_ _he_ _l_ _ess_ _,_ _the car wasn't so oversized as to be uncomfortable._

 _Judy noticed her brother looking around the car. She trusted him more than any of her elder siblings, but she just wasn't sure if telling him what happened was the right choice. But, no longer able to sit in silence, Judy finally spoke._

 _"_ _What are you looking at_ _,_ _Mark?"_

 _Glad she was speaking to him, Mark decided to educate her on the relic she'd found rather than press the issue at hand._

 _"_ _Oh nothing, just the piece of history we_ _'re_ _sitting in_ _,_ _"_ _Mark smirked at the confused look his sister sent him. Taking a deep breath, he proceeded to passionately rant about the forgotten automobile, "This is a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. These things were untouchable on the race tracks back in the day. It looks like it's in okay shape too. Just a little rusted."_

 _"_ _Yeah, like your running_ _,_ _"_ _Judy teased her older brother._

 _"_ _Uh-huh, and your hiding_ _,_ _"_ _Mark chuckled poking Judy's stomach as her face contorted into a pout._

 _"_ _Judy, why are you hiding?" Mark brushed Judy's ears down her back in reassurance that he cared for her. He then brushed his paw against her cheek, examining her wounds with sorrow._

 _Judy knew the truth would come out eventually, so she told him everything. How Gideon stole her friend's tickets, how she stood up for them, how she kicked Gideon, and how he slashed her across the face. When she was done with her story, she was certain that he'd go tell their parents. Instead however, he just reminded her why he was her favorite older brother._

 _"_ _Did you hit him good?"_

 _Judy smiled at her brother's question. Of course Mark would be interested in the pain she caused the fox._

 _"_ _Yeah I did! I kicked him right in the muzzle too!" Judy proudly proclaimed._

 _Mark chuckled at his sister's enthusiasm and held up his paw for a fist bump which Judy gladly accepted, punching his paw and giggling as Mark rubbed his knuckles in mock pain. The two sat enjoying the other's company before Mark spoke again_ _, h_ _is voice serious, yet soft._

 _"_ _Judy, the next time I see that_ _ **fox**_ _anywhere near you, I'm going to kick his tail. I promise that I'll never let anything bad happen to you again, ever."_

 _"_ _Mark, I'm going to be a police officer, remember? I'm supposed to protect you._ _"_ _Judy stated with all the seriousness that a nine year old could. "I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl now_ _."_

 _"_ _You sure are Judy_ _,"_ _Mark smiled_ _._ _"_ _Now, since you're such a big girl, do me a favor and run back to the house and tell Dad to bring the truck and some chains. I'm taking this thing home and fixing it up_ _,_ _"_ _Mark patted the cracked dashboard of the vintage car._

 _Judy began bouncing up and down in her chair with excitement._

 _"_ _You're going to fix it Mark! Thank you so much, I've always wanted a car!" Judy thanked him gleefully._

 _"_ _What do you mean_ _ **you**_ _always wanted a car? I'm restoring this for me" Mark laughed._

 _"_ _But I found it Mark! So it's_ _ **my**_ _car, finders keepers!" Judy folded her arms and spoke with confidence in her ownership over the automobile_ _._ _"Pl_ _us, the police officers in all of Dad's detective shows have really awesome cars, so I'm going to need one too."_

 _"_ _Whatever you say Judy_ _._ _"_ _Mark climbed out of the car and began removing the steel surrounding it, amused by his sister's logic,"Just go get Dad so we can get_ _ **your**_ _car home."_

Once they'd gotten the car into an empty barn near the house, Mark convinced Judy to come clean about her injury and fight with Gideon. Their parents were not as mad as they were concerned for their daughter's safety, so Judy was let off with a warning to stay out of trouble and another talk about the dangers of predators. For nearly two years Mark would spend his free time after school and between chores in the barn working on the Barracuda. Judy would often sit in the barn with him and hand him tools or just tell him about her day. Those were the moments Mark cherished most in his life, working on the car with his favorite little sister.

The sudden ringing of the phone he brought from the house broke Mark from his nostalgic memories and caused his head to slip from his arms. Banging it against the hard steel of the engine and muttering some curses, Mark rubbed his head and stumbled over to the table where the offending device sat. Grunting in annoyance, Mark answered the phone.

"Hello you got Mark here… Yes, this is the Hopps residence… Yeah, she's my sister… SHE WHAT!"

Phone still in paw, Mark bolted out the sliding barn doors and back to the main house where his parents were currently preparing lunch for the family. Practically breaking down the kitchen door, he delivered the phrase Stu and Bonnie Hopps had been dreading ever since their daughter left for the academy.

"Judy's hurt!"

Bonnie dropped the bowl of carrot salad she had prepared as Stu fumbled with the newspaper he was reading at the table. Both of them were visibly horrified at the news they just received. The several other rabbits that occupied the room also ceased their activity as they perked their ears towards their brother, hoping they had misheard him. The room fell silent as everyone present began to process what Mark just said, and in a room filled with nearly two dozen bunnies, the quiet was almost eerie.

The silence only lasted a moment, however, as the room exploded with panic, the bunnies bombarding Mark with questions about their sister. Meanwhile, Bonnie was doing her best to calm the mob of children only to notice that Stu had begun to hyperventilate in his panic for his daughter.

"Bonnie! We need to go, now!" Stu stood up from the table gasping as hysteria began to take over,"our baby's hurt! We need to get to her! We need…to... make sure…she's …okay..." As Stu began heaving between words, Bonnie rolled her eyes at her husband's severe reaction.

"Stu, calm down." Bonnie slapped him across the face so he could return from his state of alarm," panicking is not going to help Judy!"

Stu rubbed his cheek where his wife had slapped him and took deep breaths to calm himself before speaking, "You're right dear, we need to get to the hospital! Wait… which hospital?" Stu began to panic again at the thought of franticly driving from hospital to hospital only to find that Judy was not there. "Mark, do you know which hospital?" Stu hastily shouted, turning to his son only to find he was no longer present.

"Bonnie, where'd he go?" Stu asked as he began to grow pale, making Bonnie worry he'd pass out.

The sudden roar of an engine revving outside followed by several horn blasts was answer enough to Stu's question as the two parent bunnies made their way outside to find Mark sitting in the driver's seat of his car.

"She's at Zootopia Medical in the city center. Now both of you get in, we don't have time to lose!" Mark shouted through the open passenger window. Stu quickly hopped into the back while Bonnie buckled herself into the passenger seat. Once his parents were secure in the car, Mark threw it in gear and spun the tires on the dirt road, flinging up gravel behind them. Once they reached the main road, Mark slammed on the gas pedal, determined to make it to Zootopia in record time.

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 **Post AN: Okay so I know that my grammar skills are not the stuff of legend, but great news, I now have an editor! She's done a great job with this chapter so I wanted to give credit where it is due. To protect her identity though, she's asked that I refer to her as 'Cacti'. So thanks Cacti!**

 **Also as you may have noticed, we now have some cover art! It's just a sketch I made of Nick and Judy in front of the 'Cuda that I scanned into the computer, so if anyone would like to volunteer to give it some color send me a PM!**


	4. Chapter 4: F-f-fFOX!

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to update. I was out of town some and I had some serious writers block while making this. That being said I just want to say how AWESOME it is that this story has nearly 600 views! Thank you all for your support. Also thank you to Midnight Max and Cactus52 for writing reviews. It makes my day when I read those and they encourage me to write more. They also let me know how I'm doing as an author so please don't be shy to let me know what you think.**

 **Now I present to you Chapter Four!**

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Chapter 4: F-f-f...FOX!

"Ha! Read em' and weep!" Judy slammed her cards down onto the tray table that sat between her and a very frustrated fox. Nick sighed, folding his ears back as he watched the tiny rabbit gleefully wrap her arms around the pile of pudding cups they were betting with, pulling them to her side of the table.

Stuck with nothing to do in the agonizingly sterile hospital room, the two mammals struggled to find a means of entertaining themselves. At first they were content with watching ZNN on the ancient TV, but after watching the report on the day's events for the _zillionth_ time, they eventually allowed the News Anchors' voices to fade into the white noise of the hospital. The TV no longer a sufficient source of entertainment, Nick suggested that a friendly game of cards would help pass the time.

Of course it would help if Judy actually knew how to play though.

"Carrots, there weren't even five cards in that last hand! Now, if you will kindly return my pudding cups, we can try this again" Nick huffed at the giddy bunny who simply ignored him and counted her winnings.

"One of Nick's pudding cups…two of Nick's pudding cups…three of Nick's pudding cups…"

"Do you even know what game we're playing, Fluff?" the fox asked while readjusting himself on the edge of her bed.

"Nope, but I'm winning aren't I?" Judy quipped while taunting the fox with a spoonful of _his_ pudding.

Nick watched her swallow the spoonful of dessert with exaggerated slowness, chuckling at his friend's antics as she let out a happy _mmm_ to further rub her 'victory' in his face. The fox was about to make a snappy comment on how hard it would be for her to get back into shape for active duty if she kept eating her winnings when the clamor of an argument outside their door caught their attention.

Judy swiveled her ears towards the commotion, trying to make out bits of the conversation from the voices that managed to pass through the door and permeate the room. She recognized the baritone grumble of Officer Grizzoli, the officer in charge of preventing any unwanted visitors from entering their room, as he kindly informed someone that the room was off limits.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'OFF LIMMITS'?" a second voice shrieked with enough anger to make both mammals in the room momentarily shrink back from the door.

At this point, Nick was already on his way to open the door to see what exactly was going on, but when his paw touched the handle the door flew open, smacking him in the snout. Not aware of the fox clutching his nose behind the door, a furious Bonnie Hopps stormed into the room followed by two fearful looking bucks.

"Goodness Hon, did you really need to kick the door open?" Stu Hopps asked his wife, nervously clutching his ball cap in his paws under the polar bear officer's glare.

"He wouldn't let us see our _daughter_ Stu! I did what I needed to do!" Bonnie stated confidently, not the least bit sorry about the damage she created.

"Wait, that's your mom, Hopps?" Grizzoli laughed once he got over the shock of a tiny, aged bunny standing up to a large predator like himself and busting a door down. "Now I see where you got your fire from" the polar bear smirked, but quickly hid his fangs when he noticed the older buck cower away from him.

Oblivious everything around her, Bonnie scurried to her daughter's bed side and grasped her paw, squeezing it tightly.

"Oh thank heavens my precious little girl is safe. We were so worried about you!" Bonnie patted the back of her daughter's paw as Stu and Mark walked to her side. "When we heard that you were hurt we got here as fast as we could." Stu huffed "I knew the city was too dangerous a place."

Judy rolled her eyes at her father's comment. "It's not that bad, really" she tried to reassure her parents only for her older brother to step up to the bed, a sad fury in his eyes.

 _Oh boy, here we go._

"Not that bad! Judy, you're in a hospital!" Mark then noticed the blanket covering her leg and swiftly pulled it off, revealing the injury she had sustained. The three country bunnies flinched at the sight of Judy's mangled leg. Bonnie clasped her paws to her mouth, trying to hide her gasp while Stu simply appeared that he would pass out. Mark wrapped an arm around his father, keeping him from falling to the floor, while the white buck stared at the stitches.

"Judy, who did this to you?"

As soon as Mark had asked the question, a small whine echoed from behind the room's open door. Instantly, all eyes turned and faced the source of the noise as a red fox emerged from the spot clutching his snout.

"Goodness, and here I thought I could escape today's events without so much as a scratch" Nick quipped as he continued to rub his nose. The fox's sarcasm disappeared however when the three unfamiliar bunnies took a step back from him. Feeling the tension in the room build, Nick slipped behind the neutral smug expression he'd perfected over the years. Officer Grizzoli, also sensing the building suspense in the recovery room, wisely returned to his post outside and shut the door.

"F-f-f-FOX!" Stu managed to exclaim, pointing a finger at the vulpine standing in the middle of the room. The three bunnies then took a defensive stance in front of Judy's bed, doing their best to seem intimidating. At the sight of the fox, Mark couldn't help but glare at the mammal's claws, the florescent lights of the room reflecting off the shiny, black talons. He remembered the pain his kit sister suffered from all those years ago at the paws of a fox, and cheese and crackers if he was going to let it happen again. Taking a brave step forward, Mark spoke up.

"What are you doing here, _Fox_?"

Nick gave the angry lagomorph an amused smile, the expression only infuriating the buck further. "Well Snowflake, I was enjoying a nice game of cards with my friend here when all of a sudden I was attacked by that door!" Nick gestured to the heavy, wooden entrance "I swear someone should lock the thing up for assault!"

Not amused by the fox's humor, Mark took another step towards the snarky mammal in front of him. "I think that you're the one that should be locked up for harassment! Now get out of here before I call in that officer outside!"

Nick chuckled lightly, if there was one thing he enjoyed in the world, it was pushing another mammal's buttons. He was about to offer his reply when Judy decided that this had gone far enough.

"Stop it, both of you! Mark, this is my friend Nick Wilde, he helped me solve my last case." Nick gave a lazy salute to the white buck who was still fuming. "Nick, this is my older brother Mark. Now stop pushing him because he will beat you up." Mark cracked his knuckles to make sure the vulpine knew Judy wasn't kidding.

An awkward silence filled the room after the quick introduction, until the Dalmatian nurse from before reentered the room carrying a clip board in one paw and a set of crutches in the other. "Okay Miss Hopps, you're good to go. Just use these crutches for a week and you will be fine. Now if you would just sign these release papers you…" the nurse paused as she noticed the tension radiating from the white bunny in the center of the room. Feeling as if she's interrupted something, the canine quickly collected Judy's signature, gave her the crutches, and hurried out of the room.

With the distraction of the nurse gone, Judy quickly searched her mind for something, _anything,_ to relieve the weight that filled the room. She needed a way for her family to be comfortable around Nick. If they just took the time to get to know him and if he would ease up on his sarcasm a little, then there was no doubt that her brother and parents would feel different towards the fox.

"Why don't we all go out to dinner?" Nick suggested, seeming to have read Judy's mind "I know this perfect little Italian place down town that caters to pred and prey."

Not giving her family time to protest, Judy responded for all the bunnies present "That's a great idea, Nick! It'll give you all a chance to get to know each other."

The other three members of the Hopps clan stood in obvious discomfort as Stu spoke up. "Um.. Jude, we don't really want too…"

"Miss an opportunity to share a meal with a close friend of mine? That's so sweet Dad, thank you!" Judy finished for her father, making it clear that they were going out to eat regardless of their opinion. With that final statement, Judy slid off her bed and, using her crutches for support, made her way to the door.

Still standing next to the now empty bed, Stu, Bonnie, and Mark watched as Nick opened the door for Judy before following her out. Now alone in the room, Bonnie was the first to speak her mind.

"Well, Judy seems to like him. I think we should go with them." The older doe announced to the room.

"Bonnie, Hun, think about this. Do you really want to go out to eat with some fox we just met? I mean, we know nothing about him!" Stu tried to reason with his mate.

Bonnie crossed her arms and sighed," Judy trusts him and that's enough for me. Give the tod the benefit of the doubt, Stu, just like you did with Gideon."

Mark couldn't believe what he was hearing. Were they really considering letting a fox treat them to dinner? He'd probably steal some poor mammal's wallet to cover the bill! He was about to say as much, but his mother cast him a silencing glare as if she knew what he was thinking.

"Now Mark, I know how you feel about predators, but can you at least try and be civil around Nick, for your sister's sake?" Bonnie asked her son in her best motherly voice, trying to comfort the young buck.

Mark nodded his head. It wasn't that he was prejudiced towards all predators; it was just that the incident all those years ago with Gideon had taught him to be cautious. Sure Gideon was a good mammal now, but, at least in Mark's mind, he was a rare case. There was a reason the stereotypes associated with foxes existed after all. Mark didn't know Nick. For all he knew, the fox would try to mug them once they left the hospital. Going against his better reason, Mark agreed to at the very least tolerate the vulpine, if only for Judy's sake.

Smiling at her son's subtle, yet agreeing gesture; Bonnie led the two bucks out of the room.

* * *

Judy was about to reenter the hospital and see what was keeping her family from joining them at the building's front door when the whoosh of the automatic doors drew her attention to the three bunnies walking towards them. She was glad that her family seemed to be willing to try and get to know the fox that she'd grown close to over the course of her last case. Nick was also relieved to see the Hopps family joining them, afraid that he caused friction between Judy and her family. Having no family of his own left, the last thing he wanted was to rile up someone else's.

"There you are," Judy turned to the bunnies," I thought you had rejected our invitation."

"Oh nothing of the sort, Bun Bun," Judy cringed at her mother's use of the nickname, certain that a particular fox would no doubt add it to his vocabulary, "We were just settling a small disagreement."

"Oh," Judy's had a feeling she knew what this 'disagreement' was about. Based on her father and brother's actions, they weren't necessarily excited about spending the evening with a strange fox. Judy didn't let it bother her however, as her mother seemed to have handled the situation nicely. "Well, Chief Bogo was nice enough to have an officer drop off the truck earlier so you and dad can drive it to dinner and back home afterwards. I'll call a Zuber for Nick, Mark, and me." Judy said merrily as she retrieved her phone from her pocket. She lowered the device however as Mark cleared his throat, a cocky smile plastered to his face.

"You don't need to do that, Jude. We brought our own vehicle" and before any explanation could be given, the white buck disappeared into the nearby parking garage with a sprint.

Nick couldn't contain his chuckle, the need to make a joke at his new unspoken nemesis was overwhelming. "Where'd Snowflake run off to, _Bun Bun_ , to fire up his trusty John Deer to pick us up in the ol' hay wagon?" Judy knocked his shoulder for his use of the nickname, but laughed at her friend's jab at her brother anyway, knowing that humor was the fox's way of getting even with the speciesism the buck had subjected him too. She also couldn't keep the knowing smile from spreading across her face at how wrong Nick was.

"Yeah, something like that."

Nick's ears shot up as the roar of a car engine echoed out of the concrete garage that stood next to the hospital, the sly smirk on his muzzle morphing into an expression of awe as his jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Judy didn't even try to hold back her laughs at the vulpine's reaction as the 'Cuda rumbled out of the parking lot and to the waiting mammals. "Some tractor huh, Slick?" the grey doe teased, knocking the dazed fox on the arm.

Nick rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Before him was the most beautiful specimen of vintage muscle he'd ever seen! It was like he was in high school again, going to car shows with his buddy Flash to see all the wonderful automobiles on display. Back then he longed to get behind the wheel of one of those speed machines and drive the tires off it, but no one would trust a teenage fox with such an expensive car for a test drive, nor did he have anywhere near the funds to buy one himself.

Mark grinned at the surprised look on the predator's muzzle. "Like what you see?" the buck laughed, revving the engine as Nick and Judy entered the car.

* * *

In the building across the street from Zootopia General Hospital, a pair of binoculars protruded from the open window of a dark, dreary apartment. The ram watched as the small bunny cop and red fox drove off in a glossy, blue car followed by a dusty pickup truck, stopping at the intersection waiting for the traffic light to turn green. Doug glared through his binoculars, imagining it was the scope of a sniper rifle. He could just see the scarlet fur of that _pelt_ Nicholas Wilde and the charcoal tipped ears of that _dumb bunny_ Judy Hopps through the rear window of the vehicle. How easy it would have been to finish them both had he actually had a rifle in his hoofs instead of the binoculars. All it would take was the pull of a trigger and all his problems would be gone, splattered against the car's windows in a cheerful shade of bloody crimson in spectacular patters.

Doug beat his hoof on the window sill as the light turned green and the mammals drove away, completely unaware of the morbid fantasy he'd played out against them. The ram grunted, leaning back in his chair. He couldn't just shoot them, no, that would be too easy. He needed to send a message, a message to the bunny and fox, a message to the ZPD, a message to all of Zootopia. Anyone _cannot_ be anything, contrary to the empty promise that the city's slogan boasted. Mammals could only be what they were, be it a dumb country bumpkin bunny, or a shifty, lowlife fox. The citizens of Zootopia had forgotten what rolls nature had assigned them, and the message he was intent on sending would make sure that the delusion of equality among species was a thing of the past.

Angrily throwing his binoculars onto the faded couch that sat in the corner of the room, Doug got to work formulating his plan. He not only needed to send his message, but also enact his revenge on the two mammals that locked away the love of his life.

 _Dawn_.

The ram's eyes softened at the thought of the ewe. He had to do this for her. Maybe, when he succeeded his mission, she would finally return his affections. His thoughts returned to the fox and bunny. His scowl twisted into a demented smile as an idea came to him, a plan. It would take some time, but it was perfect. It would not only end the fox and bunny, but also the unity of Zootopia's entire population. He couldn't do it alone though.

Grabbing his coat, Doug made his way to the front door, making sure to lock it behind him as to not alert the apartment's owner that he'd been there. Once he made it to street level, the ram made his way to the nearest subway station and boarded the next train to the Nocturnal District. He had a few friends to catch up with.

* * *

 **And that wraps up chapter four! Hope y'all liked it. Now quick warning, my editor Cacti hasn't looked over this yet so there might be some mistakes in there somewhere, but as soon as she has it edited I'll replace this version with the corrected copy. Thanks everyone! Don't forget to review please!**


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